While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.

But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles (柴油机) by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.

“We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them,” said an official.

Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions (排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.

Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index (指数) gave just 100 days as good.

“I am glad to see an improvement,” said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in frog.”

In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.

Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes (烟) and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air.

The passage is mainly about ________?

A. a programme to improve Beijing’s air quality

B. progress made in Beijing’s air quality

C. Beijing’s air pollution

D. the difference between Hainan and Beijing

Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing’s air?

A. Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation.

B. Some factories have been asked to cut production.

C. Some construction sites have been told to be closed.

D. A display show of airplanes has been called off.

We can infer from the passage that, with the aim of being an ecological (生态的) city by the 2008 Olympics, ________.

A. far more still needs to be done  

B. nothing else needs to be done

C. all traffic has to be closed           

D. the development of the city has to be slowed down

Which is not correct according to the passage?

A. Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse.

B. Development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality.

C. Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing.

D. The government is making every effort to stop air pollution.

SYDNEY (AFP) — Thousands of people sat down to breakfast on the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Sunday after the bridge was closed to traffic and carpeted with grass for the first time for a giant picnic.

About 6,000 early riser were on the steel bridge from 6:30 am to take part in the two-hour event designed to show Sydney’s best food and outdoor lifestyle.

As music performers provided the background music, those who had won tickets to the picnic in a random lottery (随机抽奖) began to feast on fruit, pastries, muesli, yoghurt ...

“It’s amazing to see the bridge in this perspective (角度),” said Don Fuchs who lives near the bridge, which is used by about 100,000 cars daily.

“Usually you sit in the car, you cross it, and that’s it.”

“It was beautiful,” said Linda Curnow who attended the picnic with her family. “The grass was so thick that it was like being in your backyard.”

New South Wales state Premier Nathan said the event was set to become a mark of an annual Sydney’s month-long October food festival.

    About 45,000 people applied for tickets to the breakfast for which people brought their own food but were able to taste samples from some of the state’s best producers.

    Organizers used about 40 percent of the grass on Sydney parks. The bridge reopened at about 1:00 pm.

What made Linda Curnow feel as if she were in her own backyard?

  A. There being no cars passing by.

  B. So much food offered by Australian producers.

  C. So many people dining at the same time.

  D. The thick grass covering the bridge.

Why was the event planned?

  A. To mark the Sydney food festival.       B. To attract more tourists to Sydney.

  C. To promote the Australian life.     D. To display the world’s best food.

We learn from the passage that _____.

  A. the giant picnic is organized in a park in Sydney

  B. the grass from Sydney parks was moved to the bridge

  C. the Sydney Harbour Bridge was open to traffic all day

  D. those who had won tickets to the picnic didn’t eat breakfast

What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Welcome to Sydney 

B. October — Sydney’s art festival

C. Thousands eat breakfast on Sydney Harbour bridge

D. What is the feature of Sydney?

Vive la Tower!

Until New York’s Chrysler Building was completed in 1930,the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world.Located by the river Seine,on an avenue named after its designer,this 985－foot （300－meter） tower is the most famous edifice（大建筑物） in the city of Paris.Gustave Eiffel’s idea was certainly chosen from among 700 proposals（提议） to represent the city in the International Exhibition of Paris in 1889.It commemorated（纪念） the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

In 1887,three hundred steel workers spent two years constructing the 7 000－ton tower.Yet,it was almost torn down two decades after its completion.Luckily,its antenna（天线）,used for telegraphy at the time,saved it.Last July,it looked to observers as though the tower might be destroyed after all,as ominous（不吉利的） black clouds of smoke encircled the structure.Luck was again smiling upon the tower:the fire turned out to be a small one that was quickly put out  by attendants on duty.

To date,more than 200 million people have visited the Eiffel Tower.However,it has not always been a beloved tourist attraction.At first,Parisians despised it.Its architectural style and metallic composition were not considered pleasing.Today,the Eiffel Tower is adorned（装饰） with special lights that sparkle for ten minutes each hour,from sunset until one a.m.If you happen to be passing by,look up at this breathtaking monument for an astonishing sight.The Eiffel Tower,composed of iron and steel,is greater than the sum of its parts.

If you wanted to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle,when might you stop by?

A.1:15 a.m.                  B.3:30 p.m.                  C.9:10 p.m.                  D.0:00 a.m.

When was the Eiffel Tower almost torn down?

A.1907.                        B.1909.                        C.1889.                        D.2003.

At first,what did Parisians think about the tower?

A.The steel and iron parts were unimpressive.

B.The awe－inspiring design was attracting.

C.Both A and B are correct.

D.Neither A nor B is correct.

D
Andrew Carnegie was a 19th century steel tycoon（大亨）who became one of the 20th century’s most famous philanthropists（慈善家）His life story is one of the most famous rags-to-riches accounts in United States history.
Carnegie was born in Dunfermlined, Scotland, on November 25,1835. The son of a weaver, he came with his family to the United States in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. At age thirteen, Carnegie went to work as a bobbin（线轴）boy in a cotton mill. He then moved rapidly through a series of jobs with Western Union and the Pnnsylvania Railroad. In 1865, he resigned to establish his own business and eventually organized the Carnegie Steel Company, which started the steel industry in Pittsburgh. At age sixty-five, he sold the company to J. P. Morgan for $480 million and devoted the rest of his life to his philanthropic activities and writing, including his autobiography（自传）.
Many persons of wealth have contributed to charity, but Carnegie was perhaps the first to state publicly that the rich have a moral responsibility to donate their fortune. In 1889 he wrote The Gospe（福音）of Wealth, in which he stated that all personal wealth beyond what was required to supply the needs of one’s family should be regarded as a trust fund to be managed for the benefit of the company.
Carnegie set about giving away his fortune through countless personal gifts and through the establishment of various trusts. In his thirties, Carnegie had already begun to give away some of his fast-accumulating funds. His first large gifts were made to his native town. Later he created seven philanthropic and educational organizations in the United States, including Carnegie Corporation of New York, and several more in Europe.
One of Carnegie’s lifelong interests was the establishment of free public libraries to make available to everyone a means of self-education. There were only a few public libraries in the world when, in 1881, Carnegie began to promote his idea. He and the Corporation subsequently（随后）spent over $56 million to build 2,509 libraries throughout the English-speaking world.
After this program was ended in 1917, the Corporation continued for about forty years an interest in the improvement of library services. Other major program in the Corporation’s early history included adult education and education in the fine arts.
During his lifetime, Carnegie gave away over $350 million. He died in Lenox, Massachusetts on August 11,1919.
53．Carnegie became wealthy by__________.
A．his investment in weaving industry B．his father’s financial support
C．starting his steel business from nothing  D．his philanthropic activities
54．What is the correct order of events related to Carnegie?
a．He sold his company.
b．He organized the Carnegie Steel Company.
c．He worked in a cotton mill.
d．He came to the United States.
e．He wrote The Gospel of Wealth.
A．c-d-e-b-a  B．c-b-a-d-e  C．d-c-b-e-a  D．d-b-a-e-c
55．What can we learn about Carnegie according to the passage?
A．He was the first wealthy person who contributed to charity.
B．He believed that it was the duty of the wealthy to help society.
C．He called on the wealthy to give away all of their fortune to help the poor.
D．He was willing to give personal gifts only to his friends and relatives.
56．Carnegie established public libraries in order to __________.
A．win a good reputation for his company
B．collect money for his educational organizations
C．improve library services
D．help people educate themselves

    In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget．But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant．The work was hard; the pay was poor; and, most of all, the working conditions were terrible.

    First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength．For then hours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck．Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice．I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night.

    I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor．I was paid the lowest wage of that time―two dollars an hour．Because of the low pay, I felt eager to get as much as possible．I usually worked twelve hours a night but did not take home much more than $ 100 a week.

    But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was the working conditions．During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch．Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures．The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone．And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone cleaning the floor.

    I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked．By the time I left, I was determined never to go back there again.

49．Why did the writer have to take many jobs at that time?

       A．To pay for his schooling.                     B．To save for his future.

       C．To support his family                           D．To gain some experience

50．The following facts describe the terrible working conditions of the plant EXCEPT ______.

       A．loading boxes in the freezing cold          B．having limited time for breaks

       C．working and studying at the same time   D．getting no pay for lunch time

51．What is the subject discussed in the text?

       A．The writer’s unhappy school life.          B．The writer’s eagerness to earn money.

       C．The writer’s experience to earn money.  D．The writer’s hard work in an apple plant.

52．How is the text organized?

       A．Topic―Argument―Explanation           

       B．Opinion―Discussion―Description

       C．Main idea―Comparison―Supporting examples                     

       D．Introduction―Supporting examples―Conclusion